Kaine for VP? Que bueno!

Text Size

The possibility of tapping a Spanish speaker and/or a Latino for vice president is a reminder of how strong a hand Hispanics hold in the coming election.

“This may be the first time that you have two candidates who go full-throttle after the Latino vote,” Munoz said. “The mistake for Democrats in the past has been assuming Hispanics are going to be part of Democratic base. Sen. [John F.] Kerry did.”

In 2004, President Bush took an estimated 40 percent of the Latino vote — a record for a Republican running for the White House. In 2006, Hispanics swung Democratic, thanks in large part to the hard-line stance Republicans took in the bruising illegal immigration battle on Capitol Hill.

All said, Hispanics will make up about 6.5 percent of the people who turn out to vote, according to a December report by The Pew Hispanic Center.

“Despite these modest numbers, Hispanics loom as a potential ‘swing vote’ in [this] year’s presidential race,” the Pew report says. “That’s because they are strategically located on the 2008 Electoral College map.”

Latinos, for instance, have a major presence in four of the six states President Bush carried by 5 percentage points or less in 2004. They make up 37 percent of the electorate in New Mexico, 14 percent in Florida and 12 percent in both Nevada and Colorado, the report says.

And that’s where Spanish-speaking Kaine could make a substantial difference.

Seth McLaughlin is a Washington-based freelance journalist who has worked for The Washington Times, The Providence Journal and the Small Newspaper Group in Illinois.

There are many ways to reach out to Hispanic voters besides just getting a VP that can speak Spanish. Obama and McCain need to address issues like education, accessible small business loans, and a viable, fair immigration plan that does not simply grant amnesty to everyone. Also appearing on Spanish language television multiple times is key to reaching Hispanic voter. Obama/McCain can?t make one token appearance in February and expect that will hold over Hispanics until November. The idea that Obama can?t choose Richardson because that would be too much change is loco! The people that won?t vote for a Obama/Richardson ticket are the same people that wouldn't have voted for an Obama/Kaine ticket. Also you left one pol off the list: Chris Dodd can also speak fluent Spanish, but his troubles with his seedy mortgage deal could hamper his hopes of VP or even treasury sec.

When Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama branded the name “Obamacans” in a speech earlier in his campaign, many in the media and others were confused or amused. “Who are these ‘Obamacans’ and what do they want?” exclaimed one pundit. The lexicon of punditry was blindsided by the new political paradigm. The answer has been in plain sight for over three years.

Obamacans are simply disaffected and disillusioned Republicans who have been embarrassed and bamboozled by the political parasites that have infested the Grand Old Party for over 20 years. These true GOP believers are more progressive and pragmatic, rather than conservative and ideological. They generally believe in governance and fiscal policies that emanate from the center, not the right or left. Their demographic crosses ethnic groups, socioeconomic levels, religious beliefs, and core ages from 30 to 60-plus. Moreover, they’re tired of being called Republicans as if it were a curse word.

Many have become so estranged from current day Republican politics and politricks, rather than convert to the Democratic Party, many have joined the ever-expanding Independent movement. As such, they have created a de facto political alliance composed of equally ****ed-off Democrats and died-in-the-wool believers who prefer being independent from the two major parties, or any party. They have congealed a belief that the two-party system is generally dysfunctional, corrupt, procrastinating and outmoded for today’s socioeconomic and global challenges.

Basically, they are part of a multigenerational group of voters and taxpayers that want things done, and done right. It’s also their belief that doing the right thing should not be inspired by political benefit. The most interesting part about Obamacans is that they are insulted by the moronic logic and schoolyard rhetoric of the Republican elites, spokespersons, pundits, operatives and cheerleaders.

Their eyes can’t roll far enough back anymore upon hearing another load of convoluted rationales from “tongue-wagging twits” about the state of America, the status of the Iraq war, and our ballooning global debt. In various ways, their basic lives have been negatively affected by their party’s tax and splurge policies. They are past the tipping point, and have experienced the exponential crippling of the American way of life for nearly a decade.

Like many other Americans, Obamacans are also tired of being scared as a motivational tool with lapel pin loyalty, faith, and pretentious patriotism as passports. Unfortunately, for them and many more, this has become the deceit decade. They, too, want change and a president to believe in.

Dennis Moore, Chairperson -- dennis@DCIndependents.org District of Columbia Independents for Citizen Control Party (DCICC) -- www.DCIndependents.org Proud Member of CUIP (Committee for a Unified Independent Party) -- www.IndependentVoting.org

Spending a year in Honduras does not make one fluent in Spanish. Jimmy Carter also spoke Spanish, and even Bush can mangle a few sentences here and there. Richardson is very different: He is a native speaker of Mexican Spanish, which would be a huge plus for Obama. There are many Chicano politicians who claim to speak fluent Spanish, but really are not good native speakers. LA's Villaraigosa comes to mind. But Richardson is the real bilingual deal.

I still think Jim Webb is the best choice. Take advantage of what the party polarization will not be able to offer you. People like the Obamicans, moderates, centrists, independents, Reagan dem.'s, ect... just a thought.

Wow, the media certainly does paint a large portion of the electorate with a sweeping brush and major generalizations too. The assumption of picking a Spanish speaking (barely) governor from a state that doesn't have a large Latino/Hispanic/La Raza population, would somehow help Obama with a voting block that is very dynamic...IS A VERY BIG ASSUMPTION INDEED! Let's take a page out of the Maria Teresa Petersen book over there at Voto Latino. If indeed like she says, 83% of Latinos consume their information in English then having some guy who thinks he can speak Spanish will not do Obama much good. What good will it do with the many Hispanics and Latinos that don't speak any Spanish? Also, if Obama has his VP going out and speaking some poor Spanish to crowds, that could actually backfire because some would see it as patronizing. If Obama wants to be competitive with this part of the electorate, he'd be best off by picking someone from one of the 5 states where the Latino electorate actually makes a difference. Picking someone from the Southwest like Richardson, by the way the most experienced Democrat in the primary, would help and would probably give Obama New Mexico as Richardson is popular there.

Obama already has the Latino vote, a fairly large percentage of it anyway and probably about all he is going to get of it. So why would he base his VP pick on that ?

Kaine probably is the front runner for the spot on the ticket but it's not because he speaks Spanish. It's because Obama hopes to flip Virginia.Though it certainly is not a given that he can pick up Virginia by choosing Kaine, it just makes it close. Probably a 1 to 2% margin battleground state , which could end up being the closest state race in the election or among the top three closest races.

It probably doesn't matter very much who Obama picks though, because there are only two things that really matter in his pick, and it is a slam dunk that he will be choosing a white male with absolutely no chance of choosing a woman or a Hispanic on his ticket. The two things that are significant about his pick are

1.) It isn't and can't be Hillary , so it automatically provides some controversey and loses some voters.

2.) Obama will completely overshadow his ticket anyway. So it won't matter much who it is. He is basically an eclipse that will block out his VP pick.

McCain, on the other hand will probably either live or die with his pick. I figure he takes a woman because it just makes a heck of a lot of sense that he does, and Governor Palin is the only real female choice out there for him. So both VP picks should be no-brainers right now. Kaine and Palin.

Well I don't see Obama having a problem here because Obama's problems aren't all that apparent on the surface. Primary results have little bearing on general election results however, this election so far has broke most of the traditional rules. While most registered Democrats will vote Democrat, and turnout will be very high, if the election is close Obama can't afford to lose anyone. Since the media loved talking about Obama's demographic problems during the primaries, especially race and ethnicity, they didn't highlight the group that he lost most of to Hillary Clinton: Asians. Something like more than 75% DID NOT vote for him in the primaries. I believe that is the group that he lost in the biggest number in the primaries.

First of all, speaking Spanish is over rated according to my Latino friends. They tell me that the vast majority of Latino voters communicate with English as their first languate. Many don't even speak Spanish.

Second, if Kaine speaks Spanish as poorly as he speaks English, the Democrats are in trouble. Some of you may remember seeing Kaine deliver the Demcoratic response to the state of the union in 2005/2006. It was just awful and he didn't look at all telegenic.

Obama would feel comfortable with him ideologically because neither of them have any identifiable political philosophy, other than the desire to get elected.

Kaine's main promise in 2005 was to save Virgnia's "golden goose", Northern Virginia, from serious traffic problems, particularly since that part of the state contributes the lions share of state revenues. He failed. His excuse is that it's a Republican majority in Richmond. But many are from Northern Virginia. He just blew what he had four years to do.

So, what the heck, sign him up and let him talk about empty proposals (e;.g., the Naitonal Health Exchange) in a language that his Latino audience would not prefer, in most cases. It makes perfecdt sense for the party that ignores just about every major issue and acts like the 73% who can't stand Bush are idiots. The alternative is not at all acceptable but the Democtrats will face a loyal opposition when they take over - from the people. There will be no honneymoon.

P.S. Isn't it just a little insulting that some people think that just by spekaing Spanish, the Latinos will vote for a particular party. It's really insulting if you ask me.

A Very Candid Personal Experience About How the GOP Got Stuck On Stupidall

Imagine the ignorant fast-talking and opinionated schoolyard bullies and jerks many of us encountered back in grade school. Now, they’re all grown up. That pretty much describes the bulk of political parasites that have infested the Republican Party over the last 20-plus years. The rhetoric and integrity of this once Grand Old Party has become deeply infected by some of the most morally bankrupt political and intellectual hacks in history.

Growing up as a fourth generation Republican, albeit of the progressive wing, I witnessed a gradual infestation of elitist money-obsessed socially retarded sycophants possessing the most putrid ideas about patriotism, reverence, governance and global citizenship. A disdain for intellect, insight and integrity was their moral compass. Only blind loyalty, winning and staying on message mattered. It was the political equivalent of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

The false wisdom and phony facts behind their rhetoric became increasingly irrelevant to gullible voters and a moronic media in search of simplistic logic in a complicated world. The warnings and revelations in the book “1984” became real time reality for many in a nation seeking brain candy to overcome the nausea from real world fears. Ongoing efforts by some Democrats to placate the politricks of these parasites will only nourish the “continuous campaign” of neo-con Republicans. Just doing the right thing for all Americans through non-partisanship has been corrupted by the false brand of “bipartisanship.”

It has been especially painful as an African American, born and nurtured in Harlem, who was particularly proud of my knowledge about the origins, core beliefs and early history of Republican political philosophy. Logically and politically, the clarity of present day reality soon fast-tracked me to becoming an ex-Republican. Historically, the GOP went from the respected brand of being “radical Republicans” for social justice and effective governance to what many of us now jokingly refer to as “neo-con knuckleheads.”

A 19th century political movement that was born from America’s constitutional beliefs of human equality, equitable justice and effective democracy inspired slaves, former slaves, slavery abolitionists and congressional representatives alike. This movement spawned such true believers as Frederick Douglass, Thaddeus Stevens, Hiram Revels, James Rapier, Blanche K. Bruce and its first Republican U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. Fast-forward to the late 20th into 21st century and Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, George H. W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush, John McCain and others are the twisted leftovers of a previously respectable GOP legacy.

During my own campaign as a struggling District of Columbia Republican mayoral candidate in 2006, it became creepily clear this was a political party that in no way remained true to any of the traditions, beliefs and standards several generations of African American Republicans had instilled in me. They were now practicing political and intellectual lobotomy. A strange form of nausea affected me, as I talked more with key officials in the Republican National Committee and the D.C. Republican Committee about African American candidates and our perspective on diverse issues. The encouraging words of RNC chairman Ken Mehlman began to feel hollow moments after we shook hands. Metaphorically, I realized the GOP was no longer the father or mother I knew.

Surely, the neo-Republican nightmare of the last 20-plus years has destroyed the original legacy of a political party that early in its development was on the cutting edge of progressive ideas, genuine patriotism, diplomatic integrity and credible stewardship of the public trust. More than that, it has deeply corrupted the integrity of our nation. The consequences of this corruption may result in the natural death of a political party that infected itself. It has also lobotomized many once credible American journalists and commentators into media morons.

However, there is genuine evidence that diverse Americans want to end this destructive parasitic relationship. If there is any possibility that a President Barack Obama can fully wake us from this long national nightmare affirmed by the second President Bush, and covertly revered by Senator McCain, America might have another chance to become a stronger, wiser and more united nation. This is my solemn expectation as a been-there-done-that former Republican slave, who is now an emancipated and clear-minded confirmed Independent.

Dennis Moore, Chairperson -- dennis@DCIndependents.org -- District of Columbia Independents for Citizen Control Party (DCICC) -- www.DCIndependents.org -- Proud Members of CUIP (Committee for a Unified Independent Party) -- www.IndependentVoting.org

Hispanic People Los Hispanos will vote for John McCain, and NOT Obama. Why is the Media so bias and lies. Latinos will vote on this election for John McCain. Just ask the Cuban People in Florida most of them are going to McCain. Obama is goinf to destoy the Cuban embargo. Why has OBAMA done for the Hispanic Community guess what NOTHING!!!!!!! NADA!!!!!! Hispanic for McCain. That is like saying all Jews and Palenstinian will live harmony forever!!! don't think so!!!!!!!!! Hispanic for McCAIN 08